Hey! I’m Zayaan Khan—Zai to my friends. I have two younger
sisters and a mother, and we live in London. I’ve come to Carmel-by-the-Sea to
be with Nirvaan and also to finish my dissertation in Islamic studies.

You’re a nerd, huh. Then,
this question is perfect for you: If you could do something dangerous just once
with no risk, what would you do?

Zai: Nirvaan and I have pretty much covered all the risky
and dangerous things men can do. As of this moment, I’d try any risky
experimental medical procedure on Nirvaan to rid his head of tumors once and
for all.

What’s the biggest
lie you told in childhood?

Zai: That I love my brother. That he was redeemable in
Allah’s eyes.

Which of your
ancestors would you most like to meet?

Zai: My eight-times great grandfather who was a Sufi saint.
I’d love to meet him and discuss philosophy.

Is it more essential
to develop beliefs or gain knowledge?

Zai: Gain knowledge, of course. Belief without knowledge is
a waste and an error. Knowledge is reason. Belief can be unreasonable.

Heavy. Let’s end on a
fun note, shall we? What’s the most fun party you ever attended?

Zai: My—our—fifteenth birthday party. It was at Dandi Beach
back home in Gujarat. It’s where we—Nirvaan and I—met Simi.

And that’s our five
questions done. Thanks for being a sport. And I wish you find that experimental
procedure for Nirvaan too.

Advance Praise:

At once heartbreaking, delightful and completely unexpected. A must read!

~ SonaliDev, author of The Bollywood Affair

In My Last Love Story, Kothari examines love and loss, desire and desolation, with a deft, wry touch that kept me reading late into the night and moved me to tears.

~ Julia Tagan, author of Stages of Desire

About the Author:

Falguni Kothari is an internationally bestselling hybrid author and an amateur Latin and Ballroom dance silver medalist with a background in Indian Classical dance. She writes in a variety of genres sewn together by the colorful threads of her South Asian heritage and expat experiences. When not writing or dancing, she fools around on all manner of social media, and loves to connect with her readers. My Last Love Story is her fourth novel.

ENCOUNTERS is a potpourri of five sumptuous stories involving a motley crew of protagonists. Skating along the borders of fantasy and paranormal themes, the stories track incredible and poignant journeys of self-discovery, tracing the cathartic aftermath of fleeting encounters.

Review: I am reading Sumana Khan for the first time and I was left spell bound after reading Encounters - Someone's Always Waiting. There are very few authors which you read for the first time and fall in love with the writings and Sumana Khan is one such author.

The book is a collection of five different short stories revolving around the themes of fantasy and paranormal themes and each one of them are unique in their own ways. Everything right from the stories, the characterization, the narrative and the climax with superb twists, left me spellbound.

The author has narrated the story from the first person perspective which has provided that edge in all the stories. I, for once felt as if, I, myself am narrating the story and floating through the various characters mentioned in the stories.

All the five stories somewhere has managed to touch my emotions and that shows how wonderful the stories are. 'First Love' left me enthralled, 'The Storyteller' gave me goosebumps, 'Reminiscence' and 'Happiness Clinic' filled me with lots of emotions which did not subside easily and finally 'Best Friends' made me feel happy. Usually the readers tend to forget the story but with Encounters it is different as I simply cannot forget the stories, They are so nicely written. Kudos to the author for that.

Overall: Grab this book and get engrossed in the varied stories as you Encounter one thrilling ride of myriad emotions! A definite read for all the book lovers.

Sumana was born and raised in Bengaluru, Karnataka, where she went on to graduate with a BSc in Electronics, much to the surprise of her teachers, and relief of her parents. In what can only be described as a quirk of fate, she ended up as an IT consultant - a role she essayed for more than a decade. She then moved to the UK where she quit her job and pursued academic and literary interests. The result of this pursuit has been two Masters, one published book, quite a few manuscript drafts, and above all, being stone-broke perpetually.

Monday, 9 May 2016

ENCOUNTERS is a potpourri of five sumptuous stories involving a motley crew of protagonists. Skating along the borders of fantasy and paranormal themes, the stories track incredible and poignant journeys of self-discovery, tracing the cathartic aftermath of fleeting encounters.

Sumana was born and raised in Bengaluru, Karnataka, where she went on to graduate with a BSc in Electronics, much to the surprise of her teachers, and relief of her parents. In what can only be described as a quirk of fate, she ended up as an IT consultant - a role she essayed for more than a decade. She then moved to the UK where she quit her job and pursued academic and literary interests. The result of this pursuit has been two Masters, one published book, quite a few manuscript drafts, and above all, being stone-broke perpetually.

Sunday, 8 May 2016

Girls and dresses go back a long way! A must-have in the
diverse wardrobe of a woman, dresses are available in a multitude of designs
and prints. It’s that time of the year, when you heavily depend upon your
dresses for cool and easy summer looks. You’d be aware of the different
styles of dresses that keep doing the rounds; skater dresses, a-line
dresses, maxis and bodycons to name a few, are popular choices. Taking a break
from the conventional, let’s tap the versatility of the unique dress. The dress
is not a standalone fashion staple anymore; there is a lot more you can do with
it. Read further and discover how to ‘dress’ like you’ve never dressed before!

1. Doing the split

Your nice long dresses can turn your world around this
season, for the better! Wrap the sides of your dress around your waist in such
a way that it creates a natural split; pair this exceptional DIY dress with
your superb palazzos and feel the magic of this ensemble take hold of you. Your
lowers won’t be deprived of the spotlight as they will be shown off to the
maximum.

2. Coming clean with jeans

Soft cottons in the summer feel pleasurable against the
skin. Choose a maxi shirt-dress that is slightly ruffled at the waist and is
designed to drape your frame fairly loosely. Match this glorious dress with a
pair of nifty boyfriend jeans and you will be enamored with this effortless
style in no time. Nail this look in smartly strapped sandals and feel the love!

3. Layered on top

This style will give you a wonderful insight into how you to
turn plain-old office shirts into enviable dresses. Yes, you heard right! Throw
on a well-designed, sleeveless blazer over a smart semi-casual tunic and set
out for the workplace in a self-assured pair of oxfords. We’d advise you to
wear stockings beneath this bold dress-style, so that you can convey subtle
tones of sensuality while keeping it cool during work hours.

4. Embracing the alluring lace top

Your dresses can do pretty well by themselves most of the
times; but with a little help from friends you’d be sure to add a fantastic
layer to the conventional dress. The market is flooded with interesting
crocheted and lacy tops. Ever thought of trying an interesting mix and match?
It’s child’s play. Pick a straight, short dress to go with your sweet crochet
top and embrace the lovable tomboy in you.

5. The all-in-one

A conceptualized dress that embodies the best of everything
is definitely desirable; but is it really feasible! It turns out that the
crazy, hybrid dress does exist. This creation is a three-layered wonder that is
clinched at the waist, and summarizes the best of womenswear. Top a
curvaceous slip-dress with a diaphanous shirt dress; casually include a light
shirt as an ingenious third layer and put on a belt as the ultimate
master-stroke!

About the Author

Mallika Chakrawarti is a designer, writer, and travel enthusiast. She is currently working with Jabong.com as a writer and is passionately involved in curating and forecasting fashion trends.